Toby Lock

Goal-scorer Antony Kay admits he’s had a frustrating time on the bench lately but feels he’s doing enough to stay in the side.

Kay’s 50th minute header put Dons into an unlikely lead at the KC Stadium against Hull City on Saturday. But the lead lasted just three minutes as Sam Clucas scored a free kick to level things in the 1-1 draw.

The 33-year-old Dons defender lost his place in January to Joe Walsh, who overcame 10 months of injury problems since moving to stadium:mk from Crawley last March.

But after suffering a hamstring problem two weeks ago, Kay replaced him and he has helped Dons to pick up five points in the last three games.

“It has just been normal, slotting back in,” he said. “It shows our strength in depth. People can come in and play well, and that’s just what I’ve done. Hopefully I can stay in there now.

“The first few weeks, it was frustrating, but Joe (Walsh) came in and did really well and deserved his chance. If you come in and do well, you’ve got no right to lose your place. I’m back in now, but I’ve got to keep performing.”

Kay’s header five minutes into the second half turned out to be vital for Dons, especially as Rotherham fought back from 3-0 down at home to Derby to continue their remarkable stint under new boss Neil Warnock, keeping Dons a point outside the relegation zone.

He said: “I’m delighted to have scored, but I’m more happy with the point. Defenders need to get their fair share of goals, and I’m happy to have done that.

“We’re in a relegation scrap, so coming here to get a point is really important.

“We’ve changed the style of play away from home - we’ve got to be realistic because you can’t out-pass a team like this and expect to get three points. Everyone has put in a real shift, it has been hard graft and we’ve got the reward at the end.

“Your heart sinks when you see eight minutes of stoppage time, but we did well and deserved the point.

“No-one has pulled out of any battle or any challenge and it’s shown.

“We are where we are, and we’ve seen it and talked about it, but now we’re doing it on the training pitch and it’s showing in the games.”